Shady Enterprise
by Not So Gallant Gallade
Summary: Romance? Check. Spying? Yep. Gangs? Uh-huh. English-speaking Pokemon? Si. Humans falling in love with Pokemon? Ch- wha? That's right, a boy follows a dangerous trail to find his one love... who happens to be an Absol. NO relation to Silver Soul, rated T.
1. Show Me How To Live

"Sol! Absol!" it cried, the pokemon's eyes fixed on me like I was prey. I gave it a look I hoped equaled the intensity of the one given to me, and it charged at me, the scythe on its head charged up for a close range Razor Wind.

Now, I was never the strongest kid, mind you, and definitely not when I was a scrawny 13-year-old, but I knew a thing or two about self-defense. I swiftly dropped onto the grass and kicked my legs up, throwing the dark-type over my head. She (as I had determind by this point) landed on her own back, and skidded a couple feet before flipping herself up. She tried again with the Razor Winds, from a distance this time, and one of them clipped my hair, sending a few unlucky strands to the grass below.

I looked over at my bag, lying on the ground since the beginning of this confrontation. Three Ultra Balls were sitting pretty, waiting like passengers at a train station to be used. I took out the one I had stuffed in my pocket beforehand and clicked it, enlarging it in my palm. I wound up, channeling the little leaguer I had been a couple years before, and delivered... and she dodged without any difficulty.

"Crap," I muttered, 1200 in Poke down the drain. Trying a different strategy, I dashed at the four-legged dark pokemon, and she ran to her left to avoid me. However, I was ready for that, and dove, tackling her as her legs flailed under me. I let her go after we stopped rolling, and she growled "Sol..." as if to acknowledge that I was worthy of challenging her.

Suddenly, she shouted her name out loud as she bounded into the woods behind me. I quickly grabbed two of the Ultra Balls from my bag and gave chase, luckily not too far behind her. Both of us darted around trees and under branches like we were running in slow motion, missing many of them by mere centimeters. As soon as I got within an acceptable range, though, I chucked one of the two-tone balls at my target, and it made a beeline for the Disaster Pokemon, finally hitting her in the rear. I slowly came to a halt as red enveloped Absol, finally sucking her into the capsule like the genie and the lamp. The black and yellow capture device rocked back and forth as the Absol tried to escape the confines of it, and with each little sway the ball made, an hour seemed to pass by.

And then it stopped. And it clicked.

I slowly walked over to the now-silent Ultra Ball and picked it up. I had just gotten my first pokemon.

I immediately brought Absol back out, and as she appeared from her ball, she barked and looked up at me expectantly. I simply knelt down next to her and scratched just behind her head, and she closed her eyes and seemed to smile at her massage.

"You're such a good girl..." I said quietly, stroking her fur softly. "Oh, what should I name you?"

Her eyes snapped open, and she turned in the other direction, slashing away at the dirt. Her final message read "SHAD."

Not wondering how she knew the alphabet, I tried to comprehend her writing. "Shad... wait, you mean Shade?" I asked. She nodded enthusiastically, and I grinned. "Well then get over here, Shade!" Shade bounded over to me joyfully, and tackled me as I gave her a hug. Giggling as she licked my face, I managed to say "Ack! Stop!"

"Sol!" she replied simply, and I smiled. My journey was beginning, and I had no clue where it would bring me.

If only I knew.

* * *

Later that day, we decided to stop for some lunch, and I managed to get a couple apples for us to chow down on.

As we finished one each, though, we heard a rustling and the snapping of twigs behind us, as we had decided to eat right there in the forest. When we turned around, we saw a short kid with his hat turned stupidly backwards, and wearing ridiculous shorts. His pokemon was trailing behind him, and he shouted "Hey! You! Let's battle!"

"I'm fine, thank you for asking..." I muttered, standing up. "You ready for this, Shade?"

Shade nodded, barking out her named happily, and gave the kid's Rattata a look that would shatter Regice. The rat hissed back, and the kid shouted "Scratch, Rattata!"

"Dodge, and use Razor Wind," I said, bored. Shade executed a perfect leap over Rattata, and did a 180 as she brought her air blade down upon her foe. The vermin screeched in pain, but somehow wasn't knocked out by the attack.

Of course, the subsequent tackle by Shade (not under my command) did bring it down, and the kid scooped up his fallen pokemon.

"But... how? My Rattata's-"

"In the top percentile of all Rattata," we both said, and he looked at me as if I was psychic.

"Cash please," I told him, and he scrounged up a couple hundred Poke for my time. I pocketed it, and walked off, mumbling something that resembled "Bye."

As soon as we were out of his sight, I pat Shade on the head. "You're a pretty good battler!" I complimented, and she smiled, saying "Sol..."

I could maybe make a living from this.

* * *

**2 months later:**

Life as a trainer ain't easy. Nobody ever said it was.

But it sure as hell is fun.

Shade has grown into a helluva battler, starting to pick up on the strategies I use, and using them for herself, without command. She's been incredibly loyal as well, which I didn't expect given how standoff-ish she seemed when I tried to catch her. Shade's looking like my perfect starter, though...

That was only confirmed when, just now, a gym leader from a region named Sinnoh (apparently on vacation in Johto) challenged us to a battle. She said her name was Maylene, and her Lucario presented a heck of a quandary with the type advantage. We did manage to beat her, though, thanks to the fact that I had found an unused TM for Flamethrower buried under a tree and decided to give it to Shade, since she could learn it. And with Lucario being part Steel-type, it was lights out for him pretty soon. I didn't get a badge, of course, but I knew we were a pretty dang powerful combination by that point.

Anyways, I really felt that we'd come a long ways in the short time we'd been together... but what came next, I wouldn't have been able to predict if a million dollars was on the line.

We were just walking towards our next destination, Olivine City, when I heard a voice.

"Will..."

It was soft, unconfident, but still audible. When I looked around, though, I saw nobody there, so I continued walking.

"Will!"

Again I looked around, but again, there was no one around. I figured it was just some kid getting his kicks, and ignored the next time my name was called. A second later, though, Shade tugged at my pants, and I looked down at her.

"Will!" she yipped, a broad smile on her face. My eyes nearly dropped out of their sockets, and I rubbed them to make sure I wasn't seeing things.

"Will!" she barked again, proud that she had gotten my name down.

"That was... you...?" I asked wondrously. She nodded, and I scratched my head.

"Are you trying to teach yourself to talk like a human, then?" I followed up. I was met with another nod.

"Holy crap..." I muttered, and suddenly got an idea. "Do you want me to teach you?"

"Will!" she cried happily, tackling me for a hug. I grinned, still not believing this. I mean, my pokemon was going to try and talk? She was already amazing to begin with, never ceasing to amaze me with her power, but this? There was just no way this could be any better...

* * *

_When in doubt, insert a Youngster Joey reference. xD_

_Word of warning: This chapter, as well as the next one, will be pretty short, but the rest of this story will be of normal length by my standards, which is to say an average of 2,500 words, give or take. It could run anywhere from 2,000-4,000, in case you're not familiar with my stories. Just a heads-up, I don't want anyone complaining about the length and not be warned that this was my intention. I just couldn't manage to fit that many words into these chapters, because I really wanted these chapters to focus on these specific events (You'll see in chapter two what my intentions were there)._

_And no, this story is not related in any way to Silver Soul. I just happen to be a bit of a sentimental slob (naming all my main characters Will), and I love Absols, especially in HumanxPokemon stuff. Please, though, do NOT make any references to Silver Soul other than in private, because otherwise, that's all the reviews will be._

_Anyways, enjoy the story, this should be a great one (with a lot of action and suspense once it develops), and I hope you agree._

_Until next time..._

_EDIT: Edited this chapter to be longer and added in a key part. Sorry about that, and sorry that this chapter is now more rushed than the guys in that movie Speed. Had to put that reference in there :P That last part didn't deserve its own chapter, though, so... here it is. I'm sorry.  
_


	2. Sweet Emotion

_Much apologies, I reread this and found that I skipped a huge part, so... yeah. Added it in, and now the other chapter's a decent length. Ah well, enjoy._

_God, I'm retarded. :P  
_

* * *

**10 months later:**

"Wake up, Will!"

The voice came to my eardrums like a creek flowing gently downstream, the voice's soft purr caressing my mind as I rolled over in my makeshift bed I had made for the night.

The voice belonging to Shade.

By this point, Shade was pretty much fluent in English, which delighted me to no end. After picking up on the phonetics, the vocabulary came easy to her, since we used real-life situations to help her build it up, rather than just teaching her by the book. While she still had a long ways to go if she ever wanted to speak as eloquently as someone such as myself (when I wanted to speak eloquently, that is), she could speak English in almost any situation.

I felt tired as a Snorlax today, though, and just laid there as Shade stood over me. Soon, I felt her licking my face, and I couldn't help but giggle a little bit as her tongue tickled my cheek. "Come on already!" she said, but I still just stayed there. That left her no choice but to use Plan C.

"Ow! All right, all right, I'm up!" I exclaimed, rubbing my stomach. I hated when she used Plan C... (Plan C simply being Shade digging her claws into my skin. Usually in the stomach area, which in addition to waking me up instantly sometimes gave me the dry heaves. Not fun, let me tell you.) Shade leapt away with a smug smile of satisfaction, finally having woken me, and I replied "Yeah yeah, I'll be ready in a minute."

I walked over to my bag and retrieved my other set of clothes (unlike Ash and his friends, I actually did have fashion, and a sense of individuality), then ducked behind a bush to change. As I pulled off my shirt, though, I saw, out of the corner of my eye, the red irises of Shade looking right at me. I turned to her, and she pried her eyes away, too late.

"Can't a trainer have some privacy?" I joked, and she blushed, looking back at my topless self.

"Sorry, didn't know you were changing," she replied lamely, looking back in the other direction.

I finished changing without any disruption, and spent the morning reading a book I had just bought the other day, Shade looking over my shoulder and trying to comprehend it. Needless to say, she didn't do too well in that regard.

Finally, lunchtime arrived, and we ventured over to a little-known restaurant for the daily meal, our respective stomachs audibly growling like Houndours the entire way. It wasn't exactly a hole-in-the-wall dive, but it wasn't a 5-star restaurant either, if you know what I mean. When we walked in, it was completely empty, save for the employees and a young couple sitting up front, probably regulars, with a Farfetch'd next to the girl.

We were quickly seated by a stocky brunette lady who seemed to hate the fact that her job involved people, and she left us in a huff. Thankfully, she wouldn't be our server.

Shade opened the menu as soon as she got it, using the sickle-shaped scythe on the side of her head, and looked hard at the menu, the tiny words seeming to do pirouettes on the thin page that was poorly laminated. Finally, she managed to focus enough to find the dish she loved most for human food, and gleefully pointed it out to me: fish and chips. You probably could've figured that Absols like fish, but something about the way humans made it just made Shade love every bit of it.

"I'm guessing that's what you're getting, eh?" I asked with a smile.

She blinked her shining red eyes and retorted with "Well, what did you expect?"

"You know, I think I'll have that too. Been an age since I've had good fish..." I said to nobody in general, and she grinned ever so slightly at this. We gave the waitress our order after our drinks arrived (my lemonade and her Dr. Pupitar), and we both immediately took a sip of our drinks.

"So..." I started, trying not to be awkward and failing miserably, "how's life?"

"Great," she said simply, looking preoccupied. Her eyes darted around the small restaurant (which I'll now admit was basically a dive) like a Beedrill, a look of worry and anticipation in the gleaming pools of red called her irises.

"Care to elaborate?" I asked.

"Well, I'm an Absol who can talk like a human, who's a pretty strong battler, and my trainer is really cool. What's not to like?" she responded.

I took another sip of my lemonade, and pushed it away. "This drink," I said bluntly, and she laughed. The drink was way too sour, to the point of being just plain bitter, and that gave me a bad feeling about the fish.

We both remained silent until our food came, and thankfully, it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be.

"How's your food?" I asked after she had taken a few bites.

"Not the best fish I've had, but not the worst," she replied softly, making sure nobody could hear. She took another bite of one of the pieces of fish on her plate, and I ate a fry.

"Everything okay over here?" the waitress asked in a sing-song tone that made me want to throw the fry I was holding at her face. Instead, I simply nodded, as did Shade, and she pranced off to the kitchen, hopefully to bug someone other than us.

Shade fidgeted in her seat a couple seconds later, and I looked over at her after being distracted by a man in black peering through the front window of the restaurant.

"You okay?" I asked.

"Will, I don't really know how to put this, but..." She trailed off at this last part, apparently unsure of what to say.

"...but what?" I inquired, leaning in. She looked worried, either that I'd take it the wrong way or that someone else would hear. She took a while to regain her composure, so I prodded her, saying "What? Don't leave me hanging like this..."

You know, it's funny how just two or three words can affect someone's life so much. There's "You win," there's the more depressing "Your mother's dead," and there's "I'm pregnant." Or, there's always the classic case...

"Will, I love you."

I raised an eyebrow. "I love you too, Shade...?"

"No, Will, I mean... ugh..."

"What?" I asked, sounding the slightest bit irritated.

"I mean, I love you, Will. Not just as a trainer, but... oh, I'm so bad at this!" she exclaimed, running out of the restaurant now with her eyes moist.

Acting quickly, I paid the bill, luckily having exact change on me (because there was no way I was tipping these people) and ran out, looking for any sign of Shade. I found her curled up by a tree behind the restaurant, and walked over to her.

"If you're going to sulk like this, at least don't do it behind this place," I said jokingly. She balled up tighter still, though, so I pried her open. With a defeated look in her eyes, she glanced up at me, her paws wet with tears with her eyes glistening like puddles with the water preparing to flow once more, as if her eyes were a dam about to be punctured by a wrecking ball. She looked so exposed, so submissive, with her underside facing up towards me the way I had grabbed her, but it wasn't to mean any harm to her.

"What's wrong, Shade?" I asked earnestly, and she hung her head.

"I just... I just can't tell you how I feel, Will. It's been stuck inside of me for so long, and now... I can't even tell you! I'm so pathetic!" She wailed that last sentence, and the dam had burst. I swiftly grabbed her in a hug to make sure she didn't run away again, and noticed the server from the restaurant walking out of the restaurant, wondering what was going on. I shot her a dirty look, and she returned it before storming back inside.

"Get... off...!" Shade yelled in a suppressed voice, struggling to break free of my grasp. I had a good grip on her, though, and she finally stopped flailing a couple seconds later. Good thing too, because, well, I wasn't wearing my cup.

"Okay, so let's start over. What were you saying?" I inquired, in a quiet, pleasant tone I hoped would coax her into telling me what she was to tell me. And oh man, did she tell me.

"Will, every time I wake up and see your face, it just makes me feel so happy, happy that I can spend another day with you!" she nearly blurted, her voice still held back by all the bodily crap building up in her throat as a by-product of her emotions. I stared at her, my expression blank, and she continued after clearing her throat. "I want to spend the rest of my life under your wing, Will. You've taught me so much, not just about the language I speak now, but life! I understand so much more about the world because of you, and for that, I'll always be grateful."

Her eyes bore into my own like a ravenous Mightyena would dig into its meal, and her words struck me like a shuriken through the heart.

My own pokemon was falling in love with me.

Now, I hadn't really thought about my feelings for Shade before, obviously, but now seemed like as good a time as ever.

I mean, she was amazing. Shade was a beast in battle, but was incredibly nice outside of it. She was funny, outgoing, and the smartest pokemon I'd ever seen. Plus, she was pretty cute...

But the fact was, she was a pokemon. And I was a human. Even if I did love her back, there was no way that we could actually be together, because that was so socially unacceptable that any rep I had built up would probably fall like a house of cards in a hurricane.

Right?

* * *

_Anyone who knows me (at least on here) knows that I suck at conversation starting, and I'll often ask something like "How's life" to try (and usually fail) to get something going. Thus, the conversation at the restaurant while waiting for their food. I didn't originally have the restaurant being such a crappy little dive, but I thought it would be hilarious to edit it to make it just that (not to mention fun to write and add in detail). I really should've come up with some groan-inducing pun to name it. xD_

_ Also, if you think Shade's dialogue is bland, just remember: she's an Absol who's still learning to speak English. She's not supposed to be Shakespeare with words. (Or, just to flatter and embarrass her, she ain't MouringShade either xD). Not like it matters all that much, because of what's coming next..._

_ Hope for a quick update, 'cuz I am!_

_ I really need a signout phrase..._

_ For now, let's just go with ffgtfgtr out!_

_ And yes, this does mean I am at my destination/home for the next month, so until the end of the month (when we drive back), I'll have roughly the same amount of free time as before, give or take._

_One more thing: for the heck of it, I'm naming each chapter after a song. If you know who sings the song, kudos. You have good taste in music._

_Ch. 1: Show Me How To Live (Audioslave)_

_Ch. 2: Sweet Emotion (Aerosmith)  
_


	3. Love Lost

**2 months later:**

"Rise and shine!"

The velvety voice belonging to Shade twisted through my ear canals, and massaged my brain as it sent the impulse to my eyes to open up shop for the day. I was rewarded for following these directions by the sight of Shade standing over me, peering at me with a smile on her face, her eyes seeming to grin as well. I simply laid there, at least until Shade stuck her claws in my shirt and pulled me up into a sitting position, jolting me awake.

"Hard to shine when you rise like that..." I muttered to myself, but thought nothing more of it.

"Sleep well?" Shade asked, still with a blue claw hooked around the collar of my t-shirt.

"Yep. I was a little cold, though, that breeze was really getting to me..." I said. Sleeping in a t-shirt and shorts is a good way to get cold during an autumn night, even in the tropical region of Johto, climatewise.

"Aww, maybe I should sleep next to you tonight, then, and keep you warm," she replied with a wink. I grinned, and embraced her in a hug, which she returned with a kiss on my cheek.

In case you hadn't noticed, I had in fact developed a crush on her as well, not too awfully long after her confession. That day, I remember, was a stormy day, with not a foot of sky visible, all of it obscured by clouds, swarming like locusts. We had just finished up a battle, and I had been wrestling with my feelings since the fateful day where Shade spilled her feelings to me...

**Flashback Alert! Those of you with "Flashbackophobia" will want to leave until the next bold letters appear below. **

**Wimps.**

_"__That's game, set, match!" I exclaimed, the rain patting me on my back for a job well done. It had just started to rain, which gave my opponent's Flaaffy a boost in accuracy, but Shade easily fought through it. Not the easiest battle, mind you, but Shade handled it with the usual grace and gusto, finishing the sheep-like pokemon off with a killer Night Slash. _

_As the raindrops steadily became faster and faster, like a drumroll upon our jackets and jeans, I was handed the winner's pay, and we each scattered our different ways to find shelter. This storm was going to be big, and being outside was not going to anything but harm. _

_Hurriedly, Shade and I dashed into the endless forest that seemed to line every route of every region, but the rain managed to make its way through the leaves and branches, and we were about to get soaked. We then spotted a hollow tree trunk, from a big, sturdy-looking oak, and crawled inside, somehow managing to fit both of us in there with room to spare. We spread to opposite sides, which was to say that we were still touching, and watched as a stray lightning bolt struck a tree outside, about a quarter mile away. It was quite surreal, as we both gazed outside through the heavily pouring precipitation, watching as the tree fell slowly to the ground, finally crashing to the ground with a boom that could easily be mistaken for thunder, if not for the background music of the branches snapping like an angry golfer breaking a 5 iron over his knee._

_"Wow, this storm got really intense all of a sudden..." Shade mused, fidgeting to try and get comfortable. She was unsuccessful, though, and stretched her limbs irritably. Unconsciously, she ended up with her paws on my lap, but she quickly took them off, apparently uncomfortable in that position too. After another minute of her inane tossing and turning, I asked "You okay?"_

_She looked up at me, distracted from her shifting, and replied "No, I'm really cold. I feel a draft, and my head is pounding..."_

_I thought for a second, and then, almost impulsively, grabbed Shade and pulled her into a hug, saying "Well then, I'll keep you warm!" with a grin. Shade looked a bit shocked for a second, then smiled to herself, and snuggled up on my shoulder. I immediately felt warmer too, and stroked Shade's back. She sighed contently, and I scratched behind her head in her favorite spot, which elicited an audible purr from her._

_It was about here when I started really thinking about Shade and I as a couple. We'd shared so many moments together, really gotten to know each other thanks to her speaking ability. And now we were snuggling in a friggin' tree._

_Yes, it was socially taboo, but who were they to judge? They all had their weird habits and obsessions too. I was normally pretty self-conscious, of course, but this I would be just fine with. As long as I kept most of the affection in private, nobody'd really take notice._

_Add that to all the other great qualities I'd noticed about her, and, well, I think I'd made my decision. Crazy? Probably. Impulsive? You bet. The right decision? 100%._

_"Why'd you stop scratching?" Shade suddenly asked, snapping me back to reality. In the midst of my ponderings, I had stopped scratching Shade, who was looking at me curiously, head slightly cocked to the side. She'd picked her head up off my shoulder, so her face was about a foot from mine, due to the alcove's size.  
_

_Without warning, I took her by the shoulders, and gave her a kiss, right on the lips. She didn't return it, just stared at me blankly, wondering if I'd gone insane from the storm blowing outside._

_"What the..."_

_"Shade, I love you too," I said, and it took a second for it to register, not surprisingly. Once it did, though, her eyes moistened up the slightest bit, and she simply said "Will..."_

_And right there, in the makeshift shelter from the blustery thunderstorm outside, we hugged and kissed. _

_Talk about a strange couple._

**You may now continue reading "Shady Enterprise," for you stup-, err, valued readers who just happen to hate sort of romantic flashbacks.**

"So, how does lunch out sound to you?" I asked her, getting up to change into fresh clothes. Shade looked on from behind the bush, which I obviously didn't mind as much now, and answered "It always sounds good to me."

"The usual place?" I asked, referring to a little-known burger joint just out of the way of the main road, not a mile from our little settlement.

"Cool with me," she replied, and the date was made. I pulled on my shirt, a funny new red t-shirt I'd found in an outlet mall, and went in search of food. A couple minutes later, I returned with a few apples and oranges, ripe as a newborn baby, and we dug in as soon as we rationed it out. We set about half of it aside for later, in case we were unsuccessful on another search, but still had some good portions.

I decided to use this morning to train Shade, and by the time the sun was staring down at us from directly above, Shade had "leveled up," as was the scientific term for it. We'd been focusing ("EV training," I suppose) on Attack, and combining that with her Swords Dance-Sucker Punch combo, we were unbeatable.

Once we finished, we were both famished, and our stomachs audibly agreed with us. With my hand on her back the whole way, petting her silky white fur, we made the short stroll to the restaurant of choice, and the waitress smiled as we entered, recognizing us immediately.

"Good to see you, Will! And Shade, of course!" she said happily, and I nodded.

"Always good to see you too, Torrie," Shade replied as she pulled two menus out for us, leading us to our 2-person booth. We sat down, and Torrie asked "The usual?"

"Yep!" we both said in unison, and we laughed as Torrie walked away to put in our orders.

"So..." I began, unable to finish the sentence. Typical.

"So...?" Shade repeated.

"So..." I thought, then came up with a topic, finally. "How do you think our relationship's going...?" I asked cautiously. I had never had a crush before this, but I knew when I was heading into choppy waters, so to speak.

"Pretty dang good," she replied, not worried at all. "You've been treating so well, but yet almost the same, which I like."

"That's always good to hear... you've been good to me too, you know. Helps that you're as cute as you are..." I said, a tiny grin creeping onto my face. Shade blushed.

"Oh, you and your flattery..." she said, not able to find a better response.

We went on with the stupid little complimenting and such that couples do, and finally our food came: an 18 inch pizza we always shared. True to form, Shade grabbed the first slice and dragged it onto her plate, somehow managing to not get any sauce stains on her ivory fur. That always amazed me, and I looked her over to check for them as I took a slice myself.

"You know I don't get sauce on me by now, Will," she said with a chuckle, noticing that I was staring at her. I blinked, and she laughed as I looked back up at her. "Just can't keep your eyes off me, eh?" she teased.

"Guess not," I said half-jokingly, tearing off a big portion of the cheese from the slice of pizza in my hand, taking a freshly cut piece of pepperoni with it.

We finished up and got the bill paid, and left with our stomachs full and our morale high as ever.

And then everything came crashing down, right on top of me.

As we stepped out the door and into the breezy summer, a teenaged girl ran over, exclaiming "Aww, she's so cute!"

"Isn't she, though? Her name's Shade," I told her.

"Can I pet her?" she asked innocently enough, so I let her. Just then, I felt a short wind fly by my face. I could barely react, though if I did, I might have leaned right into it.

Anyways, I looked up, and a kid looked at me in shock, finally yelling "Hey, could you get that ball for me? I think it went into the woods somewhere!"

I turned around to face the forest behind me, and replied "Sure!" I mapped the trajectory and direction of the ball in my head, and walked over to a nearby bush. I peered through the leaves, and found it buried deep inside the shrubbery, almost to the bottom of the thin trunk supporting it. I stuck my hand in, the miniscule branches scraping up my right arm, and after a few seconds of reaching, I grasped the old baseball and brought it out, and threw it back to the kid in a beautiful turnaround lob he caught with ease.

"Thanks, man!" he said, running off. I walked back over to Shade and the girl... and both were gone.

Without a trace.

* * *

_And so the plot really begins!_

_Update of Inferno should be next, and expect a bit of delay for this next chapter, not exactly sure how to take it._

_Read, review, and wait, though, and it'll all be good!_

_Song: Love Lost by The Temper Trap  
_


	4. Just Breathe

_Before I type anything else, I want to give a gigantic thanks to MouringShade (yes, THE MouringShade), who graciously wrote this chapter. I happened to have the 50th review on her AMAZING story, The Frost Experiment, which you should all read now, and in return she offered to do me a favor. One of her suggestions was writing a chapter, and I thought "Why not?"_

_She also gave me writing tips, so hopefully you'll notice an improvement in my writing. ;)_

_I did make some edits, of course, but 90% of this is hers._

_Please, enjoy, review, and go read her story now.  
_

* * *

When I was young, I was introduced to how fire worked: it burned. I remember it though a winter haze; my hands like little icicles reaching for the heart of something that only wanted to consume, to engulf, to overpower. I remember that at first I didn't feel anything, but then, with fierce cruelty, everything fell into place like falling snow. I yanked my hands back and waited for the pain to pass, but it got worse as soon I was removed from the fire. I remember that, staring at my hands with absent wonder as they turned colors I had not expected. I remember that pain, the sort of spreading brilliant awareness. I remember that it continued for days and days, that everything had a new startling soreness, that everything had a sweet sour pain to it, that everything was so suddenly delicate. Everything hurt.

This was nothing like that. This was worse.

It started in my chest and spread like rapid-fire ice across my veins, across my skin. I dug my nails into my palm, fighting to stay calm, leaving tiny marks in my flesh where they entered. I forced a sick smile onto my face and ducked my head into the diner. "Torrie?" I called, and she heard the shake in my voice instantly. She looked up, startled, and the color drained from her face. I wondered at that, at her reaction, like I had walked out human and walked back in a monster.

"W-Will? Are you…" she started, but the fierce necessity in my bones made words form in my mouth. "Torrie, did you see where Shade got to?" I asked, all party-decoration fake, my mouth forming leather instead of sun. Torrie shook her head, her face knit with concern, little drops of anxiety-filled words spilling from her mouth, "No, why? Is she okay?"

The question spun like sugar around my head. "…I don't know," I croaked, and before she could offer any help, I was gone, running and shouting Shade's name like fury, tripping and tumbling and wanting to die. Every part of me shattered like new glass.

Somehow, I brought up enough sanity to look around for any evidence of her disappearance, but it was like a park the day after a festival; everything looked as barren as the deserts of Orre. Not a clawprint in sight, and even though I vaguely knew the trail of where the thief had gone, I found nothing that would help, as the dirt was packed solid, leaving no footprints even if it wanted to.

I'll spare you the rest of the details, for my mind's sake and yours. Let's just say I didn't come home for three days. Shade took up every part of my mind. She didn't let any other thought in. All I could do was worry.

Which is why, three days later, I was found plastered to the dirt, panting and weakly calling Shade's name.

"Oh Arceus," she breathed, and crouched in front of me, brushing my hair from my face with one slim finger. I looked up at her dully. I couldn't see straight. I could tell she was pretty, with golden flyaway hair, and dressed entirely in white, which is probably why I murmured, "Are you an angel?" That, and the fact that I was so overworked, I thought I very well could have been dead.

"What," she said, and it sounded more like a statement than a question. I flopped one hand around until it touched her, just to make sure she was real. Yup, she was real alright. I sighed and reburied my face in the dirt. I had been sort of relieved by the idea of dying. I deserved to die, I noted numbly, because I had lost Shade.

Suddenly my face wasn't pressed into dirt anymore. Suddenly none of me was pressed into dirt – I was aloft for about two seconds before I was slung over her shoulders like a baby. "Um," I cracked, my voice hoarse and wimpy, "Can you not?"

I felt her chuckle under me, and she shifted me higher up. "Shut up," she said, "I'm taking care of you. You're hypothermic, dehydrated, and, from what I can tell, suffering from tachycardia," she said, but her voice was slowly becoming softer. The edges of my vision were blurring farther and farther. I heard her sigh. "That's fantastic," she breathed, "Why don't you just faint and leave me with no one to talk to?"

I followed her instructions into numbing black just seconds later.

* * *

When I woke up, I was strapped to a bed. I just blinked. I'd woken up in stranger places before. I turned my focus inward and coughed. Everything hurt. Specifically, my throat and my left index finger. But hey. At least I could see again.

She traipsed into the room and shoved a spoon down my throat. I choked and sent her an affronted look, but she wouldn't remove it from my mouth until I swallowed. Thankfully I did, because I automatically loved it. I stared hungrily at the bowl she was holding. She looked down as if just noticing she was carrying it. "Nah," she said, setting it down beside me, "That's all you get for now," she announced, and then set to freeing me from my bonds.

"What," I croaked, but my voice held no power to it. It sounded weak and it broke against the air. She grinned at me with a sort of wild humor that I didn't really understand. "If you eat too much too fast after not eating at all, you'll get sick. Or die. So paws off the soup," she chided, and set to freeing me from my bindings. She gave me a sheepish look while doing this, watching as I sat up and rubbed my raw wrists. "Yeah, sorry about that, you were seizing. After you knocked my lamp over, I decided I'd been gentle enough," she admitted, and then took my left hand, peering at the swollen finger. She smiled a little, relieved. "Good, it's not broken," she breathed, and then pranced away to return with a chair and two mugs. She handed one filled with water to me while she sucked down one filled with what looked like hot chocolate. She peered at me from the chair, waiting as I chugged down the best water I'd ever tasted.

"I am Ainsley," she announced, and tossed her wavy hair. She watched me for a reaction. I coughed weakly and stated, "I'm Will," in this pathetic little voice. She frowned and took the empty mug from me, returning with a fresh one. "Why hello, Will," she yawned, "Now that we are super good friends and such, will you please tell me who Shade is?"

I tensed at the sound of her name. Everything came back like quick thunder. Guilt hit me like horror, and before I knew what I was doing, I blurted everything to Ainsley, as if we actually knew anything. I started from the very beginning, and she just watched me over her mug of hot chocolate, not judging. Once in a while she'd ask a clarifying question, but other than that, she was silent. Eventually I trailed off as my story grew faint in my memory from the hunger I had experienced. At that, I slowly went for the bowl of stew. She didn't stop me. As I ate, her velvet voice drifted over to me.

"Well," she mused, "That problem is most problematic. I am positive we can do something though," she promised, and I looked up, my brow furrowed. "Who's this 'we' that you speak of?" I asked cautiously. She pulled her knees up to her chest. "Since we are super good friends now, there's no harm in telling you. I am with the police," she stated, as if that had been obvious. I choked. First of all, how had I not contacted the police earlier? Secondly, when did I become friends with her, much less "super good friends?" Her way of speaking with a constant sarcastic humor I would have liked if not for the fact that I was as confused as I was. In this case, it just made my head spin. And third, what if she told everyone else of my "unique" circumstances? I couldn't see that going well. I opened my mouth to protest, but she held up one hand. "I am not going to tell everyone that Shade had you whipped, but I am sure everyone would like to hear of the kidnapping, considering you're not the first one," she stated, watching me and drinking her hot chocolate. I stuck the spoon in my mouth, waiting for her to continue. It sort of relieved me to hear Shade had been kidnapped, for some sick reason. Part of me wondered if she had left because she'd gotten bored of me. Ah, what love does to a person...

"Recently, there has been a spike in kidnappings just like this. We're doing the best we can to, you know, harness the culprit, but nothing seems to be working. He eludes us every time. I've been working as a honeypot on the inside, but things have been getting hot recently. It's getting harder to keep my identity a secret," she said, twirling the spoon she had in her cup.

"Honeypot?" I asked, staring at her. She smiled, and then gestured to her body, "It is what we folks in the espionage service call someone who seduces the target. It is super effective. Like hyper beam. But with boys," she explained. I stared at her. She had big doe eyes and perfect, innocent features. I wouldn't suspect her of anything. I could see why she worked on the inside. She saw my look of understanding and continued, "I will be doing my very best to nurse you back to health but it will be hard, as lately my magic has been running low. Also, Damion watches me. A lot. It is a little frightening, actually," she said, staring at her cup.

I smiled. "Don't worry. I heal quickly. Just send in someone else when you're out with Damion," I said, and then paused, "Whoever Damion is."

She looked up at me, and the innocence on her face had been replaced with something close to animalistic hatred. She returned to her natural smile in an instant, but the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. "Damion is my target. I am his girlfriend. He's close to the top of the operation, we believe. And like I said, all he does is watch me," she growled. It sounded wrong coming out of her pretty lips.

I shook my head. "Don't worry about me," I repeated, "Clearly you've got a lot on your mind," I said, but an amused look had come over her face. "Oopsie," she sang, "Did I not mention? You're kinda sleeping in Damion's bed right now."

I will admit. Maybe I overreacted. But when someone tells you that you're lying in the bed of the person that kidnapped the one thing on the planet you love, you try being calm. So maybe throwing the bowl of stew away from me and thrashing out of the bed was a little dramatic. But hey. There was justice to be served. And, hopefully, more of that soup.

I took two steps and went down like a drowning man. I whipped my head around and glared at my legs, wondering why they had betrayed me. Ainsley, meanwhile, was picking up my empty bowl and cleaning up the mess I had made, humming as if she had expected my panic attack. In retrospect, she probably did. "I told him you were my brother," she admitted, "And that you'd walked all the way here to see me. He doesn't know that you won't be able to walk for at least three more hours," she explained, leaning over and very scientifically poking my leg. "Your muscles are too exhausted to work," she noted, and then dragged me back onto the bed. I sighed and flopped one hand over my eyes.

"I can't do this," I muttered, "I need to get out of this house," I said, sitting up and looking at her. She looked surprised. "What? No, Will," she said quietly, "This isn't a house," she stated, as if she was explaining it to a child, "This is where their operations happen," she enlightened, and I felt my heart drop.

"What operations, exactly?" I spat, and she gave me the saddest smile I have ever seen.

"Will," she said, "Welcome to the Black Market."

* * *

_Okay, I'll admit, I did tell her which way I wanted the story to go, but I thought she did an excellent job, eh? And, if I do say so myself, a very nice (but not overly dramatic) cliffhanger.  
_

_Well, that's all I got for now. _

_Man, I can barely wait for Arc Rise Fantasia to come out for Wii. I'm not the biggest RPG fan, but I've been following this game for over a year now..._

_And THAT is it, so see ya... whenever._

_ffgtfgtr out._

_Damn, I really need something more original than that._

_Just Breathe - Pearl Jam  
_


	5. See Through Head

"Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. Whoa... that's a code name, right? Just some thievery scheme, right? Right?" I asked, my voice getting quicker and more panicked with each word that escaped my lips. Ainsley shook her head, as if I were a Poochyena digging in the backyard. "No, Will. This is the real thing, the Kanto Black Market."

I'd heard urban legends about the Black Market, which was supposed to be an urban legend itself.

I heard about the cockfighting they did to determine starting price.

I heard about the hundreds of people, thugs, thieves and druggies, packed into a space so small, they barely had enough to raise their arms for a bid.

I heard about the pokemons' enclosures, packed 20 to a cell and forced to fight each other for the table scraps of mush they were fed, however little there was.

Hell, I'd heard about people raping these pokemon, for sheer sick pleasure. And if anyone tried anything funny on my Shade, I would personally see to it that they'd be hurting so much when I finished with them, their pokemon would feel it.

"Holy crap holy crap holy crap, what do I do?" I asked, sounding much more desperate and helpless than I intended.

Ainsly seemed to recognize this, and simply replied, "How about 'Rest up so you'll actually be able to do something later?'"

I sighed heavily, one of those comical ones where you see the little symbol come out of my mouth. As agonizing as this wait would be, she was right. If I wanted to do anything to help the situation, I'd have to lay here and try not to think about all the worst case scenarios.

Fun.

Luckily, Ainsley did keep me occupied by asking me all sorts of questions about myself, throwing them at me like nice slow pitches, although the thinking did hurt my head a little at the start. Questions such as "Where did you grow up?" and "When did you meet Shade?" came up, and I answered them pretty easily.

There was a limit as to how many questions the lovely-looking cop could throw out there, though, and after two hours (Whew!) of Q & A, she was all out. Sensing this, I sat up, the blood draining from my head like water from a collender full of spaghetti (a very apt description in my state). I felt lightheaded, but it faded after a second, so I stood myself up. No problem.

Ainsley smiled as she saw me standing up, looking up from the book she was for whatever reason reading, and said "Be careful now, don't want to-"

I completed her sentence by taking one step and having my knees collapse under me, as if someone had taken a chainsaw and hacked off my legs below the thighs. My head hit the carpeted floor with a dulled thud.

Ainsley rushed over to me, saying "I told you, you can't rush this!"

I was facing the bed and saw a bunch of papers stuffed under there, crumpled up and harvesting dust. I reached out, my hand flopping on the floor as it came down, and grabbed a fistful of them. I pulled them back, nearly getting rug burn from that, and looked at them, my vision unblurring.

On them were scrawled various one-line notes such as "1 Brlm" or "3 Kkna" with the date above. As soon as I deciphered them, I got up with Ainsley's help and sat on the bed, giving Ainsley a glare as my head flopped back onto the memory foam pillow.

"What?" she asked, and I held up the balls of paper.

"Really? You're a cop, and you didn't look _under the bed_ for clues?"

"What do you mean? What are those?" she asked curiously, staring at my hand.

"These..." I said, softly but firmly, "are notes your man made about what I assume to be new additions to the market's inventory. See, this one," I singled out the one saying '1 Brlm,' "is from last Friday, and says he got a Breloom. And this one here is for 3 Kakunas, from just Tuesday. And this one..." I continued, pulling out a fresh-looking paper, "is for..."

"Don't tell me-"

"2 Absols," I sighed. "From today."

"Will-"

"Well, we know where she is... sort of... and you're on the case with me, so it's not like I can't get her back..." I pondered, blocking the black thoughts that intruded my mind like a spy, implanting a bomb that was set to explode at any second. "And if we can get more info out of Damion somehow, then we could easily go in and save her from... from..."

Boom.

"Ainsley, we've gotta go save her now! They could be hurting her or something, and they're definitely going to pay attention to the one pokemon there who can speak English! What if they're torturing her or raping her or-"

"Will, calm down. We're going to get her, but it's going to take time. She's obviously a strong, uh, Absol, and I'm sure she can handle herself. Plus, as cliche as it sounds, I'm sure she would hate to see you like this, all worked up. Just relax, drink some water, and let your body get the rest it needs," she replied, ever the caregiver. Slowly, my breaths became more and more spaced out, and I counted the ceiling tiles as I attempted to rid myself of the horrid thoughts that covered my mind in a foggy haze that would make druggies proud.

I must have dozed off, because the next thing I knew, I was being shaken, with Ainsley telling me, "Wake up, Will, Damion's back! You should be able to walk now, but take it easy until tomorrow."

At this, I leapt out of bed, and somehow managed not to fall and bust my head open. My mind was still intent on being a hindrance, however slightly, so I made sure to actually pace myself as I followed Ainsley downstairs. She gave me my bag, and I dug a book I had almost finished out of it, flipping it open to the dog-eared page on which I had stopped reading as I sat down in her recliner in the living room.

Sure enough, just a minute later, Damion walked in, and approached me, Ainsley in the kitchen listening on. He walked with a slight bounce in his step, so something good must have happened while he was out. Maybe a big sale...

"You must be Will? Ainsley's brother?" he asked, as if my book was completely invisible.

"In the flesh. Does that make you Damion?" I responded, and he actually seemed... normal, despite the fact that lurking inside him was a creepy stalker and pokemon hustler.

"It does. Your sister told me you were here," he said, catching me a little offguard. I forgot my cover was as her younger brother.

"Yeah, I came a long way to see her. You don't know how much I've missed her, man. She was my only sibling, and once she left... oh man was the house quiet..." I replied, thinking on my feet (or, rather, butt, since I was still sitting).

Damion nodded at this, which was a relief. Ainsley hadn't given me any details on my cover story other than that I was her brother, so I was winging every bit of this. "Did that make her the loudmouth of the household, then?" he asked with a grin, glancing at his girlfriend in the kitchen.

"Only when I was getting into arguments with her," I answered. "She was always the peacekeeper, no matter what. I was the one bouncing off the walls, throwing footballs in the house, all that. Not that she didn't encourage me on occasion..."

"Yes, she's quite the quiet woman nowadays as well... so, where do you live then? Still with your parents?" he continued, and I smiled at this. Finally, a question I could answer honestly... until I saw Ainsley run her fingers across her throat. _Great, so even the softball questions are met by fabrications..._

"Yeah, quite depressing. I wanted to become a trainer, but my parents just would not relent. 'Too dangerous,' they told me. At least I have my photography to fall back on... though when I leave the house, you can bet I'm getting myself a pokemon. Do you have any pokemon?" I asked. I'd just left the no wake zone with that question.

Damion crossed his arms, his foot rhythmically tapping on the wooden floor now. I took the split second he left as hesitation to glance at Ainsley, who was looking at me with a face somewhere between interest and horror. "I don't have any pokemon, but I work with them. I help out at a breeding center for my living."

"Oh, okay!" I said in recognition. There was a breeding center not too far away, assuming I wasn't very far from where Shade had gone missing. "All those baby pokemon must be so cute, huh?"

"Yeah, uh, definitely. Especially the Eevees," he replied, fingers drumming against his sides.

"Everyone loves the Eevees..." I replied. "Anyways, great to meet you, Damion. I'm going to be in town the next couple days, anyways, so-"

"Say no more, Will, you can crash on the sofa here if you want," he said graciously. Now THAT one was unexpected.

"Really? You're kidding..." I said, only half faking surprise.

"Yeah, of course! I know you two were close, so it'd be nice to see you share the house for a day or two, you know?" he said modestly. Other than the previous slips, he was a pretty good actor. Either that, or I wasn't making him suspicious at all, which was fantastic news.

"Wow, that'd be great. Save some cash, and I get to see my sister and her man together!" I replied, standing up now. My legs were starting to cramp, and I was afraid I was about to collapse right here and now. Luckily, Damion had to go back to "work," and grabbed the sandwich Ainsley had made for him during our conversation and gave her a quick peck on the cheek as he slipped back out the door.

With a huge sigh of relief, I flopped back into the leather recliner, too tired to read.

Before Ainsley could even compliment me on my improv, I was out like the proverbial light.

* * *

_Now, why is this chapter called See Through Head? (by The Hives)_

_Because in the conversation between Will and Damion, Will knows Damion's lying at some points, or "seeing through him."_

_I'm so smart! xD  
_


	6. Superunknown

_Ding-dong..._

_Ding-dong..._

_Ding-dong ding-dong..._

I awoke quite suddenly and untimely the next morning to the grandfather clock behind me, which was probably as old as both of my grandfathers combined. It easily made its presence known throughout the household, reminding everyone that it was one, two, three, four, five in the morning.

See also: too early for you to be waking up.

_Dong..._

I sat up and rubbed my eyes clear of all the crap that had accumulated in them while I slept, but as soon as I heard footsteps coming down the stairs, I laid back down, feigning sleep.

_Dong..._

I threw a blanket over my body and head, leaving one eye uncovered for viewing, and let my body go limp. Slowly my body felt into a familiar and comforting trance...

"2 Absols, a Grotle and a Vespiquen processed yesterday and he still isn't pleased... man's got his expectations up in the clouds..."

...Only to be snapped out of it by an familiar voice:

Damion.

Damnit! I'm in enemy territory! How could I let myself fall asleep?

_Jingle-jingle._

I heard the stifled jingling of keys coming from the kitchen. Subsequently, I peered my head over the corner. Damion was walking over to the front door, a bag slung around his shoulder and chest, exiting the house. As soon as he locked the door and turned right, I sprang up.

I had to follow him.

I quickly found a sticky note and scrawled "Investigating, -Will" on it for Ainsley, promptly leaving the house as well. As early as it was, the sun hadn't even begun rising. I silently thanked Darkrai and dashed for the nearest tree and peered over. Damion was a ways away looking around furtively, in case he was being trailed. I made a mental note to keep my distance.

He apparently was an energetic guy, constantly cracking his knuckles or stretching. As long as he was doing something to keep his body occupied, he was happy. It was a long trip, about two miles, maybe more. I was starting to feel my energy leave me. I nearly gave up -boy, I wanted a bed more than anything else right now -before I saw a vaguely familiar green building ahead. I was mildly surprised when Damion did not enter the building. He looked around nervously and even checked behind various objects.

_Thump-thump_

_Thump-thump_

My heart was pounding so hard, I was surprised he didn't hear it. I shuddered; I felt like adrenaline was gushing through every part of my body. I tensed up, ready to spring -or fight- at any waking second.

He turned to face my direction. _This is it! He's going to catch me! _

He squinted. _Shit!_

And he began walking toward me. _Please Arceus, please, no!_

I was paralyzed with fear. I literally had to command my brain to do something, but received no response. If he sees me...it's over. Have you ever been in such a situation that had your body surging with your body's greatest weapon -adrenaline- and not being able to do a damn thing about it? It's the most frightening thing ever, let me tell you that. I had my mind set on taking in every single movement he made. _Every. Single. One. _

Then, the best thing possible happened: he turned away. He was going around to the back. I felt a huge relief pass through myself. My body loosened up. I was in control of it again. _Thank Arceus._

I still kept my guard up, however. I watched his movement like an owl watching a fox -I was ready to strike or flee at any minute -no, that's not right. I was ready to _strike _at any _second._ I stayed parallel with him, walking into a forested area, and got closer. Then I felt the adrenaline return: something was about to happen.

Sure enough - and much to my relief - he shoved a ton of trash bags out of the way, revealing a basement. He thrust open the doors in the manner a serial killer sneaking into a family's house would do. Knowing Damion, what he was probably doing in there didn't stray too far from it. He quietly unlocked the door and entered -leaving the door cracked open. _Maybe it's more convenient for the other guys, since he might not be the last guy here...?_ I was snapped out of my brief thought by his coughing, which startled me into a jump. The rather loud sound echoed through the entire room. _He walked into a cloud of dust, probably,_ I pondered, as I quietly dashed over to the underground entrance myself.

I peered through the door's crack, seeing absolutely nothing but darkness. However, enough light shone through that enabled me to see something else: there was ladder heading down into the abyss. It looked quite weathered and trampled, but regardless, it was my entry into the Black Market, unless Damion was doing some underground breeding. And I seriously doubted that was the case after hearing what he muttered back in the house.

_Click-_

_Rattle-_

_Click click..._

I glanced down at my feet. They were shaking. Was I nervous? Scared? If that was the case, my thoughts were forced to back into my mind, in a far corner where they couldn't bother me. Perhaps I told myself they weren't important. I came here for Shade, and nothing else mattered. I forced myself onto the withered ladder, careful not to disturb the silence the air around me was engulfed in. After several steps down, I made it to the underground room. It was even darker and emptier than the first, and much dustier. From growing up with my mother, I had a good resistance to dust and uncleanliness. _Never thought I'd be grateful for that, _I thought with a sly grin.

But... where had Damion gone? The room was completely empty. After feeling around the old bruised walls, I found no doors, movable furniture, nothing. I was sure this dark, dusty room held no secrets.

...Or did it?

I began trouncing my feet in the center of the room, looking for a secret door. Just as I was about to give up, I looked down at my feet: the wooden board I was standing on was rather large. And it was loose. I walked off of it and knelt on the ground. I tapped the "board" with my hands, to find it to be not a board at all: it was a secret door! I smirked a proud smirk as I dug my nails into the board and pulled it up.

I jumped down and landed harshly on my behind after falling several feet down. Looking back, I noticed there was a ladder down. Whoops. _Guess I took the express route down..._

After standing myself up I brushed off my butt, and noticed an old wooden door in front of me, and heard faint chattering from behind it.

I stealthily slipped over to the opening and peeked through. What I saw was what I expected, but still caught me offguard.

I was _in_ the Black Market.

There were a few people in grey long-sleeve shirts and jeans (not bad attire at all, it was pretty cold chilly here) walking pokemon around from place to place, and one guy with glasses and black hair down to his shoulders in particular writing notes on a clipboard. Suddenly, though, he turned on his heels and walked away, apparently done with his checkup on this side of the operation. I looked around the hall, which was lit by a row of uncovered lightbulbs, flickering on and off like they were epileptic, and saw a sign right inside detailing the hours of the Market.

According to the chart, business had just opened, and would run until noontime, where it'd take a break for five hours before picking up again until midnight. After a bit of thought, those hours made a bit of sense, however unconventional.

Just as I was about to turn around and go back, though, I heard a couple of footsteps behind me, and my body froze, as if standing still meant nobody could see me.

"You gonna go in, or just go back home and sleep in?" a feminine voice rose at 7 o' clock, and I turned to my left to see a brunette about my age walking towards me, then past me, through the doorway I'd been peering through. I watched her stride confidently past the guard, who seemed to recognize her instantly, and I made the decision to follow her in, thinking she was a regular customer or something.

Meekly, I ambled into the real confines of the Black Market and immediately likened it to a prison, except all the prisoners were innocent and the workers were criminals. Oh, irony.

I looked at each "cell," and to my surprise only 5 pokemon were in each area. The corridor had about seven of these 10 by 10 rooms on each side before an intersection.

Even more surprising was the fact that the guard smiled at me as I approached. "A new customer, I see. Who referred you?" he asked so pleasantly, I almost wanted to vomit.

"Actually, she just walked in," I replied, sounding quite confident even though I had no clue who the girl was.

"Oh, you're with Lauren, huh? What might your name be?" he responded, not suspicious in the slightest. As funny as it would be to make up an alias, it'd be much more logical to just give him my real name.

"Will. And no, I'm not her boyfriend." I grinned slightly at the last comment, and he returned it.

"Okay, well she went to the left here to see the schedule and what pokemon are being auctioned today. Straight ahead is the auction room itself, and to the right is more holding areas for pokemon. If you need any other help, just ask, my name's Jessie."

"Alrighty, thanks Jessie!" I said as I turned the corner to walk to the display room.

This Lauren girl intrigued me quite a bit, since she was only my age but was apparently a well-known customer here... What I wanted to know was why. Also, I'd get to know the system here, and hopefully, I'd be able to find Shade.

As soon as I pushed through the creaky door, my eyes widened at the sight that I was given.

The room was gigantic, with probably about a hundred cages resting side by side on tables, an individual pokemon in each one. They were sorted by type, then species, so it wouldn't be too hard to find Shade.

I looked around at everyone else, though, and was amazed at some of the pokemon they managed to take. I saw a Salamence in an extra large cage, unusually quiet, and across from him was an Alakazam meditating and slightly levitating. There were a pair of Riolu in a corner who were sleeping, and next to them was a Machamp, stretching all four arms.

And then I saw her.

She was in the middle of a group of three Absols, and as soon as her eyes locked with mine, I put a single finger up to my lips to keep her quiet. I quickly strode over to her, and found that Lauren was looking at her as well. I slowed my pace down as I approached them, but my heart was beating faster, as if it was controlled by a remote and someone had the up button held down.

I was just about to reach in and pet Shade, though, when an announcement came over the PA.

"The auction is now about to begin. Please make your way to the auction room at this moment. Thank you."

Suddenly, all the pokemon dropped through the tables through some sort of chute system, and Shade disappeared into blackness below.

I looked around, and everyone was crowding the one-door exit, pushing and shoving each other through. I sighed and waited for everyone to go, and was the last person out of the big room. I ambled over to the auction room, giving a small nod to Jessie as I passed, and opened the door to see a packed circular room.

"Going once... going twice..."

Shade was up for auction. She looked horrified at all the big men surrounding her, fumbling for money, reeking of body odor.

"150!" a voice shouted.

"150! Going once, going twice..."

"175!" came another.

"175! Going once... going twice... SOLD!"

I didn't have any money on me at all, so I just had to make sure I knew who the buyer was for Shade.

And stepping up to unchain Shade, my Shade, was who I least expected.

Lauren.

* * *

_Okay, let me thank Alta first of all, she helped me make the transition from above ground to the Black Market, and edited the first part of this a bit._

_But then, she has to thank me for putting Lauren in here xD_

_Anyways, I'm so glad I got this posted, and I have the next couple chapters planned as well, and there's one BIG twist I think you guys will enjoy. Well, not including the one that will take the whole plot into a much more different, darker place. You shall see..._

_ I can also say, without a doubt, that this is my favorite story out of all mine, I just love the way it's turning out and it's been pretty popular too..._

_Read, review, enjoy, all of the above!_

_Superunknown = Soundgarden  
_


	7. Long Road To Ruin

_"Holy Crap!" you must be thinking, "When was the last time this guy updated so quickly?"_

_I'd have to say somewhere back when I only had four stories, and two of them were completed. Those days are long gone, though. The oneshot and Guardian have been deleted, Hybrid's stalled up, and, well, Silver Soul's still my top read story. Even thoguh the first half of it is quite poorly written, and the second half is slightly better._

_Oh yeah, and I deleted Wavelength too. For both stories, my reasoning is this: They were good ideas, but I just didn't have any ideas for how to continue them. They would've just been clogging my space, and been two more projects to worry about._

_Anyways, this chapter is gonna be a good one as well, and I'll just say thanks to those few people who reviewed the last chapter. Although I'm seriously hating the one-liners ultima-owner is throwing out there. Seriously, you're not poetic in your approach, you're not spreading words of wisdom, and your review for my last chapter was "Sneaky." Yep, that was it. So now I'm calling you out in front of my readers, because I'm not afraid to do that. I'm a man of action, as much as Dialga is a god of action (hooray for a reference to Hybrid!). Have a nice day._

* * *

"Holy shit..." I muttered under my breath.

Of all the people to buy Shade, it was Lauren. I barely knew her, of course, but she was a teenage regular here, which was already strange.

My eyes followed her all the way out the door, and I left as well as the Machamp I'd seen earlier was put up for auction.

Lauren was in the empty hallway -Jessie must have been on break- and was stroking Shade. Suddenly, though, Shade saw me. My eyes locked with hers and all time stopped. "Will!" she exclaimed, in a voice with a flurry of emotions whirled into it. Fear, surprise, happiness...all in one. However, as happy as I was to hear her voice, it was certainly no time to celebrate: Lauren looked up at me in surprise. And looked back down at Shade, her expression akin to one of gratefulness. Not the good kind, however. A sinister smirk creeped up onto her face like a poisonous spider. I resisted the compelling urge to facepalm.

"Did you just- you- you speak English!" she stuttered. Shade hung her head, totally frozen. Now that she'd given away her little secret, it could only mean bad news...

"Yes, yes she does speak..." I said, approaching them steadily. However, before I got even three feet close to them, Lauren pulled Shade away from me. Her sinister smirk was deteriorated; in its place was a satisfied half-smile. "I'll be right back..." Her words dripped with venom.

I assumed she took Shade to the display room. Before my mind could settle on the details, she came back out a minute later. She tossed a pen up and down, before clicking the tip down.

"I never thought I'd see another pokemon that speaks English..." she mused, unaware that I overheard it. Wait, another pokemon that speaks? Lauren had one?

"Another?" I asked, not holding back any rudeness my voice carried. Sure enough, Lauren gave me a scornful look. But she didn't answer my question.

"Yes, my Blaziken has the same speaking ability as this Absol here," she carelessly said, fidgeting with the pen she held.

"Okay... what'd you just do in there...?" I followed up.

"Why do you care so much?" she rebuked, folding her arms.

"I'll tell you if you answer my question," I simply replied. Oh yes, I played that card. What was the worst that could happen. With what had happened to me so far, I doubted it would get any worse. I braced myself just in case. However, much to my surprise, her eyes sparkled with curiosity. "I was signing up the Absol for the auction again." She tensed up after as she said the word "auction." She's reselling Shade? My Shade? What the hell was with this girl?

"But you just bought her!" I replied, attracting the attention of a man leaving with the Machamp. He glared at me with his dark eyes. The fighting-type, on the other hand, looked miserable; its arms lacked the usual muscle tone you'd expect from a Machamp. It looked at me with hurt eyes that made me a little teary myself. I lost myself before the fighting-type was dragged off by its buyer, limping and wincing the whole way to the exit.

"That's my way of making money, buying pokemon and reselling them for a higher price. And now that I know this Absol can speak English, I'm sure to fetch a huge profit..." She cackled at the end of her little monologue. Her eyes were bright, but certainly not the positive kind. I decided at that moment I really didn't like this girl.

"Why would you do something so... insensitive like that?" I spat, " You have strong pokemon, obviously, why can't you just train them and do the gym challenge or whatever?" She merely shook her head with that evil smirk of hers.

"Before I answer that question, you have to tell me why you're prying so much first," Lauren said in a mocking tone, glaring at me with a look that could freeze ice. I could see why someone like her would be involved in the Black Market.

"Fine. That Absol you have there, she's mine. She was kidnapped and brought here, apparently..." I answered, unaware of my hands dashing across the wall. It was probably my subconcious' attempt to distract me from the psychological torture I was going through.

"Huh. I've heard that excuse before," She brushed it off carelessly like wiping dust off of one's clothing. I was enraged at this. This was much more than that. I didn't know what to do. My hands were shaking; I was sweating continuosly. It wasn't until I heard a familiar voice that I was woken from the trace I was in.

"He really is my trainer..." Shade's voice echoed from the other room. Lauren looked in her direction, slightly amused but otherwised unfazed by the event.

"Well... I'm sorry, but I just put her up for auction again, and there's no taking her down. Plus, my boss wouldn't be very happy if I had just thrown away 175 grand just because some kid says that it was his pokemon..."

"Your boss?" I asked, intrigued now. Boss? What was she talking about. She surely wouldn't bring her job into this business, unless...

"Oh, yes, I never mentioned my job. I'm essentially the main finance collector for a gang from Hoenn," she said, as if it was as common as being an office worker or trainer. My jaw dropped open. Someone as young as her working for a _gang_? As in, the kind that shoots and steals and kills people? What was the world coming to?

"You work in a gang?" I exclaimed, not caring at the volume of my voice at this point. Even if it echoed off the walls.

"Shush. Yes, I do. Just my way of supporting myself. Quite exhilarating too," she said in a sing-song voice, as if it was the greatest thing in the world.

"But... you could get hurt, or raped, or killed!" I told her. Why was I suddenly concerned about her?

"Wow, really? Hadn't noticed," she replied snidely, laughing that ominous chuckle of hers again.

"Okay... so, tell me abou-"

Suddenly, her watch beeped, cutting me off. She looked down at her watch, checking the time.

"Nice talking with you, but I have to go to breakfast now if I want to be back for her auction. Ciao." she said, scurrying off. Crap. She's leaving. Now what? And what time was it anyway?

I turned around, searching for a clock. I didn't find one, but I did see Jessie walking back to his post. "Hey Jessie, got the time?" I called to him.

"Oh, yeah, it's... 6:00," he said pleasantly. Awesome. At least _something _went well.

"Ah, thanks," I replied. I decided to go get some breakfast myself. I figured if a girl my age was taking a breakfast from this business, it couldn't hurt me. After all, I had brought my wallet with a few bucks in it. I climbed up the ladders to sea level, and walked just down the road to a diner. I hastily ordered my food, and minutes later the waitor came back with a waffle, which I quickly scarfed down. I rushed back to the Market to make sure I got there before Shade's auction.

Luckily, I arrived just as Lauren did. She brushed past me, my eyes locking with her olive green ones. Time froze. "I never got your name, by the way," she said to me. Why was she being so friendly all of a sudden? She was my enemy, wasn't she? She was probably buttering me up or something.

"Oh, yes, I'm Will. And you're Lauren," I replied, my eyes still fixated on hers.

"How'd you know...?" she asked. She was shocked, but immediately regained her composure.

"Long story. Anyways, how rough is gang life?" I inquired as we reached the bottom of the ladder. Hey, it couldn't hurt to be friendly to her, right? Maybe I could convince her to stop with her gang life...maybe. Besides, what else did I have to do here? It wasn't like I could get Shade back...yet.

"It's... interesting," Lauren replied, her expression slightly less tense. "You definitely see things you never thought you'd see in your life... usually not good. But it's a lot of fun. And the profit isn't bad either." That evil smirk of hers returned to her face, chilling the room a few degrees. I tried not to shudder.

"I see..."

"Absol's auction should be in just a few minutes. If you want to see where she ends up going, you better get over to the auction room now," Lauren advised.

And that's where I went.

* * *

The auction had just started when I waled in. The room was filled with many people, all scrambling to see what merchandise was being displayed. I waited patiently, however tense I was. A girafarig and an ariados were sold, their expressions terrified. And it was odd to see an intimidating pokemon like ariados scared. Lauren was right: you do see things you'd never thought you'd see in your life when you're involved with this illegal stuff...

My train of thought halted to a screech when I saw the next pokemon up for sale.

"Right here, a talking Absol! Speaks English and Pokemon speech!" the auctioneer exclaimed, eliciting several ooh's and ahh's from the crowd of course. My eyes were fixated on Shade. She was terrified, trapped in the cage, shuddering with seemingly gallons of adrenaline. I was going to get Shade. Though I failed the first time, Arceus blessed me with a second chance.

But realization struck me like the knife of a murderer: I had no money at all. Arceus, no. _No. _I had to go to Plan B. Yes, yes, I still had another plan. But...I had to hold back sobs.

"150!" came the starting bid. Off it went. Within five seconds, Lauren's gang was in the black on this deal. By the time the bidding slowed down, it was almost triple the starting price.

"400!"

"420!"

"430!"

The voices all seemed to blend together, until one man's booming call rose above all of them.

"500 grand!"

Lauren grinned beside me; she had made 325 thousand dollars for the gang. A disgusting victory.

"Going once..." the host said over a cloud of silence. I cursed to myself. I was helpless in this situation. _As helpless as the pokemon up for sale were..._

"Going twice..." Nothing I can do. _Nothing. _Oh Arceus, I wish I had some cash...

"Sold! To this dashing man in black!" the auctioneer yelled above the crowd, and the winner strolled up to the platform to retrieve Shade. Nothing I can do, nothing I can do, _nothing I can do_. Damn it! No, I still have Plan B, I still have Plan B!

"Will, I recognize that guy!" Lauren suddenly said from behind me, my ears barely able to pick up her voice.

"What? Really?" I said, my voice jumping. My emotions were so confused. I didn't know whether I should be eager or totally depressed.

"Yeah, he's the leader of an ally of my gang! His name's Rolf..." she informed me, "I could tell you exactly where his gang is based and everything. You try and get close to him, though, and his underlings will take you down. Nobody from the outside knows much of anything about him. Even the police have limited records."

"So I really have no options to get to him... unless..."

"Unless what?"

I sighed, realizing my next step. And no, it wasn't going to be easy.

"I've got to join his gang," I said, my intense fear masked somewhat by determination. I felt Lauren smile at me. Yes, that creepy smile of hers.

"Well... you need a pokemon, of course. And a strong one, at that. Otherwise, you're going to get killed," Lauren said calmly.

Just then, I looked up to the platform. They were bringing up another pokemon to be sold.

Also, I saw the two men in front of me talking, obviously distracted with the bulges of cash in their back pockets. The room was packed too, people constantly bumping into each other and sometimes even getting knocked over.

Suddenly, I had an idea.

I looked at Lauren, and flashed a toothy grin.

"What are you planning?" she asked me as I looked back towards the men. Slowly, I reached my hands out, and in one swift motion, I took the wads of cash out from their pockets.

Both were big, thick rolls of cash, so reaching in there to get a grip wasn't the problem. Them noticing was the problem. However, I quickly shoved my hands in my own pockets and turned to Lauren.

"Did you just-"

I pulled out the rolls, and looked at the markings on the little pieces of paper on them.

"That's only 40 grand, though, it won't get you nearly enough to get a decent pokemon. Maybe a Wurmple though," she said, almost as if she felt sorry for me.

"Then help me get some money. I need some sort of pokemon..." I complained, and shot her a beseeching look. You know you're really desparate when you're begging your enemy for a favor. Well, at least she seemed that way to me.

"Pickpocketing isn't really my thing... but okay." _She agreed to help me? _

"Thank you so much. Now really, it's quite easy, if you can bump them right and hide the money right after you take it, because people hit each other all the time down here, apparently. Anyways, I'm thinking two to three hundred should do it for me... counting this 40k," I explained, and she nodded. With the background of a feisty Raichu being sold, both of us went around to a few people, bumping from one to the next with more and more money in our pockets. After three people each, we met up again and compared.

"I got... 150 grand. You?" she said, forking over the cash.

"180 grand. All together, that makes... 370. Awesome," I said, patting her on the shoulder. She gave me a look that said "I'll rip your arm off if you do that again," but then smiled. Altruism? Not quite. But hey, she did help someone out. Which really, really surprised me. She was a member of a gang...and she was helping me get back my absol. Maybe she isn't so bad after all...

"All right! Our next pokemon here is this fine Salamence!"

Our heads swiveled towards the center of the room, and sure enough, a chained up Salamence appeared from below. He looked slightly timid, though, as if this whole process of being taken and sold like this had humbled him. So was the case with most of these pokemon...even the fiercest ones.

Others seemed to take notice of the Salamence too, though they were obviously not the nicest people just by being here. Finally, a bid came in.

"150!"

"170!"

The bids slowly escalated, and it started to slow at 300. I was simply waiting, making sure the price stayed as low as possible before I stepped in.

"310!"

"330!"

With that, nobody else stepped up to raise him.

"330! Going once, going twice..."

"350!" I boomed, my deep adolescent voice somehow audible above the rest.

"350! Going once... going twice..."

I gulped. If he bid 370, I was doomed. Unless...

"370!" the man exclaimed.

Quickly, I looked at another man who was in front of me, and extracted his money as well. 50 grand.

"380!" I raised.

"380! Going once... going twice..."

I braced myself for the next raise by this relentless man.

"Sold, to this young man right here!" the auctioneer said, his mock happiness filling the room. In reality, the only thing he was probably happy about was that he had a safe job.

Quickly, I shoved my way through the crowd and up to the center, and the extra lights to showcase the pokemon seemed to burn into my forehead as I unshackled the dragon. I gave the auctioneer all but 40 grand of my money, and he smiled at me.

"Don't worry," I told Salamence calmly as he looked at me, "I'm going to actually take care of you."

Lauren exited as I looked back towards the doorway leading out, and the crowd made a narrow path for me as I made my way through, a hand on Salamence's neck to make sure he stayed close.

I caught up to her in the hallway, and she looked at my prize. "Not bad, I'd say," she said with a smile. She pat the dragon on the head, and I rubbed him as well.

"I'm sure as heck happy about it. And I still have 40 k in case I need supplies... or weapons."

"Oh, they'll give you weapons... though it can't hurt to get an upgrade," she responded with a small grin. We strolled on out, both of our work done, and as we reached surface level again, she said "Well, I wish you luck, Will. We'll likely cross paths a couple times, being in allied gangs, so I just hope to see you again..."

"Same here. You're quite... interesting," was my simply reply.

She looked down at her belt, and pulled off a Pokeball.

"Here, I want you to have her," she said, placing the ball into my palm. From inside, a Ninetales was staring up at me. I looked at it, then at Lauren. "Oh, you should probably let her out so I can tell her... she speaks to humans, you know. Telepathy."

I tossed it gently, and the fox appeared out of the two-tone capsule in a flash.

"_What's going on, Lauren_?" she asked concerned.

"I'm letting my friend Will here take care of you from now on... or have you take care of him. He's joining Rolf's gang to get his Absol back, and he's going to need all the help he can get," Lauren replied, scratching her behind her ears.

The Ninetales whipped around and looked me over, as if she was deciding whether she should accept me as a trainer or curse me. "_I think you'll do just fine... Will_," she said suddenly, nuzzling my hand. I pat her on the head, and looked up at Lauren.

"Rolf's gang is based in the slums of Mauville City, all the way in Hoenn. My gang's in Rustboro. Anyways, good luck, Will, and hope the initiation doesn't scar you too much!" she said cheerfully, hopping on her Altaria. "Oh, and here's a Luxury Ball to keep Salamence in. He should warm up to you quickly if you use it."

With that, she took off, and I was left alone to face the challenges ahead.

"Okay, you two, return," I commanded, and both were sucked into their respective pokeballs. Yes, this was going to be a very interesting journey.

I stuffed them in my pocket opposite the money, and began the stroll home.

A mile up the road, I heard a rustling in the bushes, and turned to see what it was.

Nothing.

Suddenly, though, I heard a click I'd hear a lot of later. The click of a gun.

"Move an inch, and your brain gets blown to pieces," the voice said.

I shifted my eyes over to see who the gunner was, and nearly fainted right there as I saw who was holding the revolver set at my head.

Ainsley.

* * *

_Day-um, what a cliffie!_

_Anyways, I don't suggest you pickpocket anyone... ever, or put a gun to a guy's head, or sell/buy stuff on the Black Market. Or join gangs. Wow, I'm a bad influence on little kids :P_

_This is a big chapter, though, with a lot of major developments and a twist I don't think any of you saw coming, which'll really be revealed next chapter._

_Thanks for reading, this is my favorite chapter to date and one I really enjoyed writing, and my friend Alta/Tyltalis was nice enough to beg me to let her beta this, so I suppose I'll thank her here._

_Long Road To Ruin = Foo Fighters (named because our protag is about to embark on just that, a long road to ruin)  
_


End file.
